One Year

At 7:50 AM, exactly one short year ago today, the most precious and sweetest baby girl entered this world. My amazing and beautiful little girl, Caroline Elizabeth, 3 pounds 12 ounces, 16 1/2 inches long, came into this world and changed our lives forever. I will never forget the feeling of holding her tiny warm body, and kissing her sweet little head. Watching my amazing husband marvel at our baby girl and cradle her with love will forever be etched in my memory. Many prayers were lifted by family and friends, many tears were shed, countless hugs were given, and new relationships were formed. Rhett and I had one hour to enjoy our precious little angel on this earth, until she was welcomed into the most beautiful home and life I could ever imagine for her. Caroline Elizabeth went to Heaven @ 8:50 AM, one year ago today. I can't tell you how many people have been affected by our sweet girl, and her brief life. There will never be a day that I don't think of her or miss her, but Rhett and I are so thankful that our little girl is enjoying a lifetime of happiness in Heaven, that she will never have to suffer in this world. In her brief life, Caroline gave us so much, and she taught us more than we could have ever imagined! She was ABSOLUTELY worth it!

A few months after Caroline was born, we were asked to speak in our church.....to give our testimony in our Spring Musical. I will tell you that was a very difficult time, but we were so thankful for the opportunity to share part of our story about Caroline. My amazing husband wrote these precious words, and stood before a very large crowd and shared our hearts. I stood beside him and sobbed the whole time. Here is what he wrote:

" In July of last year (2009) we found out we were expecting our third child. We already had 2 precious boys, and were really excited about having a girl this time! During a routine ultrasound around 5 months, our lives suddenly changed forever. Our world was turned upside down as we were told that our precious baby girl had a condition "incompatible with life". Doctors couldn't tell us if or how long she might live. They offered termination of pregnancy. We knew that was not an option for us, and we were determined to give her a chance at life, even if it was a short time. It's really hard to go through a pregnancy planing a funeral instead of a nursery. What would we tell people, how would we deal with this? The truth is, only God can get you through tough times like these. Our faith was truly tested during those months. We asked the questions: Why us?, Why now? But we learned not to question God, and to allow His perfect will in our lives. We don't know why this happened, but God has a plan for all things. We are better people and stronger Christians because of it. Caroline lived exactly one hour, and her precious life and story have impacted countless others. This was truly a storm in our lives. Fortunately for us, God provided comfort, peace and hope throughout".

Happy First Birthday Caroline!! We love and miss you so much! We all look forward to seeing your precious face in Heaven one day!!!